


Like Diamonds in the Sky

by zenonaa



Category: Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Asahina Aoi - Freeform, F/M, Hagakure Yasuhiro - Freeform, Kirigiri Kyouko - Freeform, Naegi Makoto - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 19:56:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16729737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenonaa/pseuds/zenonaa
Summary: '“Didn’t you know about it, Togami-san?” she asked him.Byakuya eyed her and slowly said, “I did not know about it.”Komaru balled her hands into fists, grinning excitedly.“That’s because it wasn’t on your list, but you definitely have to see it,” said Komaru. “It’s the first one of its kind.”'Togami, Fukawa and Komaru visit Towa City. Komaru may or may not have ulterior motives. Set afterFine Dining.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NOT_TOWA_WAKASA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NOT_TOWA_WAKASA/gifts).



> Written as part of a trade with the wonderful and talented NOT_TOWA_WAKASA as part of a trade. <3 Her art is [here](https://pinlc-candy.tumblr.com/post/180118634082/otomegrandma-childhood-best-friends-based-on) and [here](https://pinlc-candy.tumblr.com/post/179392014127/otomegrandma-for-a-friend).
> 
> You don't have to have read Fine Dining to follow what's going on.

When Byakuya woke up, he felt like he hadn’t actually slept. His head throbbed and as he tried to move, his body was impossibly heavy. Sitting up proved too difficult to accomplish at the moment - all he could manage was a twitch as he lay on his side, and doing that caused the arms around him to tighten.

He froze.

Those weren’t his arms.

This wasn’t even his bed.

Memories of last night seeped through the cracks in his congested mind. Byakuya had gone out for dinner with Makoto, Kyouko and Touko, to a restaurant for a social engagement with the purpose of evaluating a particular individual. They had drank during the night... then Yasuhiro or someone came to drive them home... and they had all arrived back at their apartment block, and Byakuya had gone with Touko to her apartment.

Ah.

He felt behind himself, patting around until he found a curve of flesh, and gave Touko’s shoulder a shake.

“Hey. Fukawa,” he drawled, and he  breathed in through his nose, but his head was so full of fluff that he couldn’t even smell anything. She groaned and cuddled him more firmly.

Byakuya gritted his teeth, and squinting against the harsh light of the pale morning, he wiggled, trying to turn to her. Touko whined but relaxed her arms around him, just a little. He propped himself up, leaning back on his elbows with his bare chest on full display, and looked at her.

The bun that had trapped much of her hair the evening prior had collapsed, and her curtain of aubergine pooled around her, tangled in places, strands sticking out like reed breaking through the surface of a body of water. Its rich colour stood out against Touko’s pale skin, and with her indigo dress on the floor somewhere near her red underwear, there was a lot of her on show.

She fluttered her lashes and stared up at him tiredly with her lips curled in a cute pout. Without her glasses, her face seemed too bare, even with the grey smudges by her eyes.

“Fukawa,” he said again.

“Wazzizit?” she went, lulling her head. Purple-grey teased him from the small slits made by her eyes.

“It’s morning,” he told her.

Judging by the gradient of blue outside, late morning. He reached into his back pocket, only to not find his phone there. The world swayed as he shifted about, searching around him until he spotted his phone on the carpet within arm’s reach.

Byakuya made a swipe at it and picked it up.

Past eleven ante meridiem.

Very late morning.

His frown tightened.

Did he really refer to her pout as cute?

“We need to get moving,” he said.

“We dun hath walk,” she mumbled, draping her hand over her forehead, palm facing outward.

Byakuya was fluent in many languages, including all of hers by this point. He made to push up his glasses, only, he wasn’t wearing any, so his fingers pressed against the bridge of his nose. His brow furrowed.

“We’re supposed to be meeting the others for lunch,” he told her, lowering his hand to his lap. “Therefore...”

Too much time passed. Touko lifted her head.

“Therefore...?” she prompted, peering up at him blearily.

He knew that without her glasses, her vision was incredibly poor, so he suspected she could make out his frame, slouched forward, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t see how he averted his eyes, how tousled his hair was, what the dull ache on his neck looked like from last night’s makeout session that ended with them falling asleep instead of with them having intercourse, tangled in each other’s limbs.

“Therefore,” he said, feeling fingers claw at the inside of his head, “I need to go back to my place to get ready.”

Her chest rose, then fell. Rose, then fell.

“... All right,” she said quietly.

Byakuya found his glasses at the foot of his bed. When he put them on, the world refocused. Now, when he turned back to her, he could see each of her eyelashes, every crevice in her lips and the reflection of his face in her eyes. He grimaced, shuffled to her front door and cracked it ajar. No one was there, so he strode over to his door across the landing, unlocked it and then slipped inside his apartment.

The door clicked shut behind him. Byakuya heaved a sigh and slumped his back against the door.

* * *

At this stage, no students had enrolled at the new Hope’s Peak, unless one counted Komaru Naegi and four of the former Warriors of Hope. Though, with the amount of studying Komaru actually did, including her was debatable.

There were no structured lessons, anyway.

Despite the school’s original purpose, the plan was not to have the school function the same way as it did before. Any student could attend with no extra fees. No students would be scouted for their talents. Here, they would be allowed to explore different fields and work on various skills of their choosing alongside mandatory work. While a lot had been done in rebuilding the school so far, more work was needed before students could enroll. Right now, there were seven staff members if one was to include Hiroko, who had offered to be the school nurse when the school officially opened. Other than her, none of them had much culinary experience, and together with Komaru, Byakuya and the others had complied a roster detailing who was meant to make which meal and when.

By the time Byakuya arrived at the cafeteria, his head had cleared considerably, and the clash of mustiness and what smelled like hairspray in the corridors became tinged with a waft of fresh food. He spotted Makoto, Komaru and Aoi at one of the tables. Rice, soup, salad and wonkily-shaped donuts sat at the centre, available for anyone to help themselves to, and Byakuya didn’t need to guess who had made lunch. The donuts gave it away.

“Good afternoon, Togami-kun,” said Makoto as Byakuya joined their table. “How did you sleep?”

Byakuya shot him a hard look.

“Kyouko’s not feeling well, so I’m going to take some lunch to her a bit later,” said Makoto, seeming to accept Byakuya’s silence as an answer. He pushed out a small smile and scratched at his cheek. “She already missed breakfast...”

Crockery clunked and cutlery clinked as Byakuya put his lunch together.

“You can just say she had too much to drink,” said Byakuya without looking up. Some rice, some soup, a bit of salad... the donuts, as asymmetrical as they were, reminded Byakuya of the bagels that he sometimes had for breakfast when he lived with his mother, so after a few moments of deliberation, he plucked one and set it onto his plate, even if it lacked seeds and the trout that would typically be inside of it.

“I’m surprised you’re here, Togami-san,” said Komaru. “I mean... if you’re really here, that is. You look like a zombie. A freshly shaven zombie.” He heard her chair creak and glanced up. She leaned forward, sniffed, and added, “With cologne.”

“What part of me is supposed to resemble a zombie then?” asked Byakuya, quirking his brow.

“Your face!” Komaru nearly thrust her finger into his eye. He flinched back, just a bit. “Your eyes are like, dead. Did you get any sleep at all?”

Byakuya pulled a face and bit into the donut. It was sweeter than a bagel, lighter and fluffier. She withdrew her hand, settled back into her seat and picked up her fork. He decided to leave the donut for now, and he was part way through the salad when Yasuhiro came in, ponytail of dreads bobbing energetically behind him.

Yasuhiro, who had been a sober spectator to the tailend of last night’s events, grinned way too much as he slid into the chair on one side of Byakuya.

“Good afternoon, guys!” he said, and he turned to Byakuya into particular. “It’s nice to see you, Togami-chi! Sleep well?”

“Well enough,” said Byakuya. Yasuhiro jerked his head back and let out a bark of laughter.

“That’s good!” he said. His eyes bounced between everyone and then skidded over to Byakuya. “Hey, where’s Fukawa-chi? Didn’t she come with you?”

Byakuya didn’t reply, postponing for as long as possible in case they decided to move on to another topic, but all eyes were on him. He frowned.

“She should be here soon,” said Byakuya. “But why are you looking at me? Kirigiri isn’t here either, you know. Remember her? Your old boss?”

Yasuhiro rubbed the underside of his nose, unperturbed.

“‘Course I remember our old boss,” said Yasuhiro, emphasising ‘our’. Byakuya narrowed his eyes at him but Yasuhiro took little notice. He began assembling his lunch, being generous with his helpings, and not meeting Byakuya’s eyes, Yasuhiro added casually, “After your double date, you went back to Fukawa-chi’s place, ‘right? And obviously, you spent the night together, didn’t you?”

So did Kyouko with Makoto. Byakuya wanted to say that, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out. Aoi tensed and Komaru stared at him, but neither of them seemed shocked, and neither did Yasuhiro and Makoto.

“Why is it ‘obviously’?” asked Byakuya slowly.

Everyone exchanged looks. Yasuhiro rested his cheek in his palm, pinching his lips together.

Aoi pulled out the metaphorical shortest straw and flicked her wrist. “I mean... you’ve both become closer.”

“We’ve become closer to everyone.”

“But not like that,” said Aoi in a smaller voice.

“Kirigiri and Naegi went home together,” Byakuya pointed out.

“And they’re dating,” said Yasuhiro, his countenance the most serious it had been for a long time, bordering on frustrated despite how he tried to hide this with a lopsided smile.

“It wasn’t a double date,” said Byakuya, raising his voice a bit. “It was...”

“... a social engagement with the purpose of evaluating a particular individual in a comfortable environment,” finished Touko from the doorway.

Byakuya froze.

“Ah, good morning, Touko-chan!” Komaru piped up, lifting her butt off her seat and waving with her whole arm. Her other hand pressed flat against the table.

He stiffly turned around. Touko trotted over with her head slightly bowed forward, facial features too blank to not be deliberate, dressed in a clean blouse and long skirt. Not what she had worn in high school, and for a while past high school, but a white blouse that buttoned up at the front. A work blouse. She hadn’t reined her hair into braids but she had made a notable attempt at brushing it. Her hair had puffed out and resembled a cloud. Stray hairs grazed his suit as she sat on Byakuya’s free side.

His eyes stayed forward now. Touko acquired a bowl for herself and served herself a light lunch. Some bland salad that could do with dressing, an asymmetrical donut and satisfactory rice.

“Sorry, I burned the mackerel,” said Aoi. All Touko did was shrug and grunt.

They all ate some more.

“Are you both going to be up for going to Towa City today?” Makoto asked Byakuya and Touko. Like the others, he must have began to feel an awkward silence start to settle, and he slapped on a smile as he waited for their answer.

“Of course,” said Byakuya calmly. He gave his glasses a small nudge upward. “We’ll leave early evening - that is much after the eight hours stipulated for being legally able to pilot after consuming alcohol, and we’ll be back some time tomorrow.”

There was a reasonable explanation for Byakuya and Touko going together. Of the seven of them, Byakuya knew how to operate a helicopter, and of the seven of them, Touko and Komaru knew the layout of Towa City, including its shortcuts and the people there, the best. Though lately, Komaru had been skipping her turn to go to Towa City, and Touko had been accompanying him instead on those occasions.

Komaru set down her fork. “Hey, can I come?” she asked.

Touko paused, her blob of rice hovering close to her lips, and she eyed her with a frown.

“Instead of Fukawa-san?” asked Makoto, raising his eyebrows.

“No, with,” said Komaru. Her mouth twitched into a smile and she stroked behind her ear. “There’s something I want to do, but I need Touko-chan and Togami-san with me. So I’ll spend some time with you guys, and then I have some errands to run by myself.”

“Errands? Like what?” said Byakuya with a faint squint.

“Like... um, buying panties, and stuff,” said Komaru, mumbling herself into a flatline by the end.

Byakuya thought that was fair enough and there was no cause to pursue this. Judging by Makoto’s face, he agreed, while most of the others seemed to be pretending that they hadn’t heard, too interested in another part of the room.

“So have you developed finally developed some modesty then?” asked Touko in a low sneer. “Usually, you don’t have any qualms flashing them to anyone and everyone while you dart about like a fly trapped in a jar... or are they special panties for Nakajima? Who you’re still too cowardly to ask out...”

Touko’s stubby nails bit into her palms as she clenched fists. Byakuya glanced down. She had enough pressure down there to snap a neck. He looked away quickly, betraying nothing with his face.

Komaru puffed out her cheeks. “Hey, I’m one of the most modest people around. Now that I’m not rushing everywhere like a video game character, I can think about this sort of stuff, and there’s some other stuff that I have to do, alone, okay? Like buy you Christmas presents... but I also want to spend some time with you guys. We’re like The Towa City Trio!”

She punched the air. The others stared.

“Or the Another Episode Unit!” Komaru whooped.

They blinked. Byakuya thawed first and cupped his chin. It was approaching that time of year...

“Fine,” said Byakuya, and Komaru beamed, positively sparkling. Meanwhile, Touko picked at her food, and now it wasn’t just her hair that was like a dark cloud.

However, when Touko came into the teachers’ room an hour later, a cup of luwak coffee on her tray, she grinned as she presented it, seemingly returned to better spirits. Byakuya braced himself, but she didn’t even bring up last night, and he dismissed her strange mood before as Touko still getting over her hangover, and after she babbled her greetings, she seemed more than content sitting at his desk with her laptop. Most people would occasionally break out into small talk, but not her, not him. They both hated that. With just the two of them there for the remainder of the afternoon, working in peace, no one saw his glances, even the ones that developed into looks longer than that, but he still felt a quiver of unease whenever he caught himself doing it like someone would catch him and whack him with a cane.

Or worse. Look down on him. He pursed his lips rather than chew on them like she did.

That evening, the three gathered in the helicopter. Soon after he listed the places that they were due to inspect, and very soon after they took to the air, Komaru seemed to fall asleep on Touko’s shoulder. Touko’s face shriveled like she had taken a long draught from a lemon, but she didn’t shove Komaru off, spending the rest of the uneventful ride reading a book, though Byakuya only noticed after he landed the helicopter and saw her slip the book into her satchel.

After the rotor blades stopped whirling and it was safe to get out, they stepped onto the roof of one of Towa City’s skyscrapers where armed guards were waiting for them, all with the same uniform, same stature and same bulk and only slightly different facial characteristics, like thicker eyebrows or thinner lips behind their identical helmet shields. The guards checked the new arrivals over, with Byakuya being searched away from his companions, but once they were deemed safe, they were reunited and escorted down through the building.

To think there had been a time in Towa City when the sky had been a constant red and Monobear units roamed the streets, tearing to shreds any human in their line of sight. A corpse had been as commonplace as a broken window, or a rubbled pavement. Now, the sky had mellowed into a deep blue as night began to settle, drained of its bloody hues, and large parts of the city had been rebuilt by the now largely defunct Future Foundation, sleek and modern.

Despite the amount of progress, at least two armed guards patrolled a street at all times. From where Byakuya stood, he could see a pair of them, armed with a firearm each, though none had been specifically assigned to Byakuya and his two companions.

“Let’s start the inspection,” said Byakuya. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and began to unfold it. “The city hall...”

“ - Yoink!” Komaru snatched the piece of paper from his hand and danced back.

Byakuya whipped his head up and made a feeble grab at it, but she dodged him with ease, grinning openly.

“If we want to check how the city is doing, we should pretend to be one of the citizens, shouldn’t we?” said Komaru, coming to a stop a short but safe distance away. She positioned her hands behind her back, peering up at him excitedly.

He did not share her enthusiasm.

“How do you propose we do that?” he asked while Touko wrung her hands beside him.

“Cool!” Komaru said, even though he hadn’t actually promised to do anything, and she pressed one hand against her hip. She brought her other hand forward and wagged her index finger. “I was thinking, how about we whizz around the shopping district? Ordering stuff online is fine, but it’s not the same as experiencing a real life shop.”

Before Byakuya could respond, she tucked the piece of paper into her blouse pocket and squeezed between him and Touko. Komaru hooked her arms around their elbows and pulled them along with her. Despite how casually she skipped, the grip with which she held their limbs hostage was surprisingly firm, and they had two choices - be dragged or reluctantly keep up. Touko and Byakuya opted for the latter, though they walked quickly, not skipped.

They steered into an alleyway between two austere buildings. The narrow passage could barely accommodate a width of three people. On both sides of them, signs glowed, some above their heads, some that they had to maneuver around to avoid walking into them, and others in a spectrum in between those heights. Some were paper lanterns, radiating soft warm colours, marked in black paint, while others were boards with straight edges and neon lighting. Where the light didn’t reach, shadows were tinted purple by the maturing hour. Storefronts for various bars and cafés boasted heat, not just inside, but outside too with small heaters under the tables, and strong flavours crooked ghostly fingers at passersby, cutlery and glasses clicking like a tongue, all trying to entice potential customers. Byakuya pinched his nose to keep out the stench of hot, sizzling food and alcohol.

Komaru hesitated by a window, staring in. Some way inside, silhouettes of people hunched over a bar, their backs to the outside world, bled into the pale light in front of them, and they didn’t seem to be moving much.

“You’re not old enough,” chided Touko, following Komaru’s gaze, and she stuck up her nose. “And I’m not buying you any, before you ask.”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything!” Komaru pouted at her. “Besides, I don’t want anything from here. I’m just taking a shortcut.”

Her shortcut led them through a maze of other alleyways until they finally emerged into a shopping district, with wide streets and open space.

“See? I knew where we were going,” said Komaru. She rubbed her nose, having to stoop her head as she lifted her arm rather than do the obvious alternative and just let go of Byakuya’s arm. “I got a bit rusty. That’s all.”

Touko gave her a sour look. “And whose fault is that?”

While those two bickered, Byakuya surveyed their surroundings. Many vibrant colours popped out at them, to the extent that certain buildings looked like they had been splashed with luminescent paint. The alleyways had contained several signs but couldn’t compare at all to the vast number here, stacked one on top of the other, some in English, most in Japanese, bright and drawing attention away from the black void of sky high above their heads.

And it worked, going by how many people were still here, browsing, buying, or standing around and talking.

To be fair on Komaru, Towa City was huge and a lot of establishments had been shuffled around to different buildings. Off the top of his head, in this district, the library had been moved somewhere else while its original building underwent reconstruction, for example. Towa City had five notable shopping districts. Touko and Komaru had spent the most time in Towa Riverside, which ran across a river leading into the city.

“Makikawa-ku,” said Komaru in awe, gawking at everything around her. “A magnificent shopping and entertainment complex with over three hundred shops and restaurants, specialising in unique souvenir shops and fashion.”

“Are they paying you to publicise this place?” asked Touko accusingly. “Is this conversation being recorded to be used for advertisements?”

When those two worked together, they could accomplish great things. Other times, however...

Byakuya slid his arm free from Komaru’s loose hold and folded his arms over his chest. He glared at them. “Focus, you two. Komaru, as this was your idea, I will trust you to show us the way.”

Touko and Komaru turned to him at the same time.

“Eh?” blurted Touko, unable to do no more than stare.

Komaru started to smile. He pushed up his glasses.

“... Besides, you’re the most common out of the three of us, so you will be able to give us the most authentic, ordinary experience,” he finished.

That wiped Komaru’s smile off. Now came Touko’s turn to remove her arm from Komaru. She put one hand on her hip and pointed at Komaru with the index finger on her other.

“You can’t sell Byakuya-sama’s trust on My Figure Collection dot Net, so you better not waste it!” Touko told her. Komaru huffed.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Komaru. Her pout lasted a little longer before softening into a smile. “You can count on me, okay? So first, I read that there’s a bookshop here. You both like books, so you’ll enjoy that.”

Komaru motioned for them to follow and then broke into a jog. Behind her, the other two set off, with Touko the closest to running after her, though Touko managed to restrain herself to an awkward stagger. They kept their eyes on Komaru, trying to not lose her among the clusters of shoppers milling around, but at the same time, they had to avoid bumping into anyone, twisting their bodies this way and that as they avoided elbows and bulky shopping bags. Apparently, their pace didn’t suit Komaru, who darted back and grabbed their hands, wrenching them after her. She led them down a street, then another, and then, when they arrived outside her chosen destination, she released her hold, and they raised their heads.

The storefront ahead of them was all glass panels with straight black frames that connected at right angles. Komaru stepped up to the doors, which opened for her, and they walked inside. Though the colours became more muted, with wooden flooring and neutral lighting, there was no less to see in here than outside. Displays and cases brimmed with books with glossy covers, creating a labyrinth for shoppers to explore. By the entrance was a noticeboard with a map of both floors, detailing which section of the stop that certain genres were in.

Predictably, Komaru scanned it for the manga section, and jabbed her finger against it when she located it.

That girl really was Makoto’s sister.

“I’m going to the manga section,” said Komaru, like she thought they wouldn’t have figured this. She turned to them. “I don’t suppose either of you want to tag along with me?”

“No,” said Touko and Byakuya simultaneously. Komaru smirked.

“You’re not so different, huh,” said Komaru, and she made her expression a little more serious. “But you know, manga isn’t so bad.”

Byakuya wrinkled his nose. “We may share this in common, but that’s just having taste. A lot of manga is contemptible, and there is a filthy culture around much of it... but Fukawa busies herself with romance, while I hold much disdain for that too. The similarities only go so far.”

Touko’s eyes flashed wide and she spun around to face him, chin up, shoulders back, and though she drew herself to her tallest, the top of her head barely reached his shoulders, but despite her short height, her presence, the gleam in her eyes, every minute detail, they demanded his full attention.

“I’m a romantic, but that doesn’t mean I’ve only delved into that genre,” she told him, wiggling her fists. “As an author and a keen reader, I’ve dabbled in reading and writing for other genres. Fantasy, adventure, mystery, detective, even science fiction...”

One of her passions was Byakuya, but her other was literature. Byakuya tried to tame the curiosity that parted his lips as he studied at her. Pink had flushed into her cheeks, and her glasses were very slightly askew. While he knew that she was capable of writing for other genres - he had read her I-Novel, some of what she listed caused his lips to faintly pucker.

“Oh?” he said quietly, his eye contact just as strong. The lack of volume helped smooth his tone. He raised his eyebrows and spoke louder, but kept his voice casual. “As you know, I like reading, and detective and mystery novels have always captured my interest. Which have you read?”

“Well, I’ve read some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie, and Kanae Minato and Natsuo Kirino...”

Komaru shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“Yes, yes. I’ve read their works. What about Seichō Matsumoto? Do you know his works?”

Komaru picked her nose.

“Of course! Someone who made such an impact on the genre... how could I not? Have you read anything by Soji Shimada?”

Komaru turned away.

“What did he write?”

Komaru walked off.

“The Tokyo Zodiac Murders.”

Byakuya held his chin. “No, I don’t believe I’ve read that.”

“You should read it, Byakuya-sama!” Touko said, almost bursting with excitement. He couldn’t look away. “It contains a locked-room mystery, and I think that it might challenge even someone with your incredible intellect. It’s fairly gruesome, but that shouldn’t be a problem for someone of your composure...”

She waited for a response, eyes wide in anticipation and her breathing fast but shallow. His skin prickled, but his features hardened.

“Oh, really?” He tore his eyes from her and moved slowly to examine the map on the noticeboard and tapped the mystery section. “I will be able to stomach it, don’t concern yourself about that. Let’s see if they have it stocked here, shall we? I will have to find out for myself if it is as good as you claim.”

“It’s was published in the early eighties, but it was a bestseller and nominated for a prestigious award, so there’s a chance that you’ll find it here,” she said. Byakuya gave a single nod.

He checked the map again before striding off. Touko hurried after him, and when she was by his side, she kept with his pace. They wound through bookcases and passed faceless shoppers until they arrived at some shelving units crowned with a sign each, all with ‘MYSTERY’ written on them. On the shelves themselves, small labels had been taped on with different author names.

Old books tended to have a sweet, musty stink, but ultimately that came down to their previous owner. Byakuya avoided aged books - he didn’t know whose sweat had streaked pages, or whether the previous owner washed their hands before touching them, and the information could have been out-of-date. Newer books, if they had a scent, were that of paper and ink. When he breathed in through his nose, he couldn’t smell one particular book, just a plastic aroma that wasn’t exactly unpleasant which seemed to exist throughout the whole place.

As he cruised through the section, hunting for the book that Touko recommended him, he could hear her footsteps as she drifted after him. He stopped and straightened up.

“Seeing as you’re here, you can find it,” he said.

“Y-Yes!” Touko squeaked, more than happy to do so. Byakuya stood nearby, and his gaze flicked up when she rose with the book in her hands.

She gave it to him. He inspected it with a slight frown. It wasn’t brand new, but it wasn’t scuffed or marked. At least, not at first glance, but in any case, he stowed it under his arm.

“Are there any books that you intend to purchase?” he asked.

Her forehead creased.

“I don’t have any in particular in mind,” she admitted, wringing her wrist. “But I’ve been meaning to find something new to read...”

“Then I will repay you by recommending you a book,” he announced.

Touko’s breathing suspended for a moment or two. She clumsily laced her fingers together. “A recommendation... from you? From Byakuya-sama?”

A grin spread across her face. Touko wrapped her arms slowly around herself. The shape of his mouth distorted and warped at the sight of her being so open, so emotional and unashamed. He turned away and tried to focus on the different books around him.

It should have gone without saying that he wasn’t going to recommend her a romance novel. The only books belonging to that genre that he had ever read were actually written by her. Why not? Byakuya had been soon to enroll at Hope’s Peak, he liked reading, and one of his classmates was a writer whose works frequented the bestsellers. Of course, he had been curious, and of course, though their romance had rolled through him in waves of nausea where others would have shuddered with glee and swooned, he couldn’t not admit that she had talent.

“Have you read Points and Lines?” he asked, keeping his eyes forward.

“Yes,” she said.

“The Tattoo Murder Case?”

“No.”

He glided his finger across book spines. Fortunately, he located a copy of the book, and he presented it to her, though she didn’t retrieve it from him right away.

“We can discuss these books later,” he said, and when she still didn’t accept the book, he flourished it at her. Touko took it from him now and cradled it against her chest. “Points and Lines ended somewhat anti-climatically, in my opinion, and I prefer to try to work out the mystery rather than have pages of explanatory monologuing. This book is more reader-orientated, so it’s more satisfying.”

Touko nodded.

“I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” she said, holding the book close to her, like a mother with their newborn child. She gave him another smile, full of teeth, blushing softly.

Byakuya felt a shiver in the warm shop - Touko had stared at him too long. No. It was that he had stared back for too long. He pushed up his glasses. “I suppose we ought to locate Naegi’s sister,” he said, eyes trained on the rest of the shop, but his mind very much focused on something, someone else.


	2. Chapter 2

 

To the surprise of neither of them, they found Komaru in the manga section. She had sank into a large cushioned seat and had a light novel in her hands, which she must have obtained from the section next to the one for manga. A few volumes of manga rested on her lap. Her eyes eagerly lapped up the words on the pages, and she hadn’t seemed to have noticed them.

“Oi, Omaru,” said Touko with a dull glare.

“Ah!” Komaru’s head snapped up, even though Touko hadn’t spoken loudly at all. She tucked her finger between two pages and showed Touko the front cover of her book, which depicted a young girl with big eyes, wearing a loita dress. “Hey, Touko-chan, did you know that Endō-sama released another volume and I didn’t realise until today?”

Touko gave a quiet scoff and rolled her eyes up deliberately.

“I didn’t, because I don’t care about that trash,” replied Touko, hugging the book from Byakuya tighter.

Komaru extended her arm and jiggled her book. “I’m telling you, you’d love it! It’s full of action, and suspense, and drama! And girls kicking butt!”

Despite Komaru’s best efforts, the scorn on Touko’s face sank in deeper.

“I don’t trust male writers who dedicate so much time to works like that. It’s not so much a deconstruction as taking a genre for young girls and perverting it and making it twisted. Besides, if I wanted to read about girls suffering and killing each other, I’d read my I-Novel,” said Touko, in a tone that very much indicated that she considered this conversation over. “You’re fortunate I read as much as I did. Now, hurry up. We’re supposed to be working, remember?”

“Hey, I was waiting for you, okay?” said Komaru with exaggerated petulance. She added the book to the top of the pile on her lap, picked the entirety of it up and then lurched to her feet. “I thought you two had forgotten about me, and that I’d have to ask an employee to call your names over the intercom to come collect me.”

Touko’s face screwed up. Komaru jutted out her chin, smirking, on the verge of sticking out her tongue. They could have gone on like this for a while. Byakuya felt his features darken.

“We’re wasting time,” said Byakuya curtly.

The tension flooded out of Touko’s face. She yelped and stood to attention, while Komaru blinked before looking over at him with a much calmer demeanour.

He turned away from them. “Let’s go already.”

They headed to the checkouts, with him walking a little ahead while the other two talked quietly behind him. This section, in the centre of the floor, resembled a grocery shop. Where people lined up to pay, best sellers had been arranged in wire racks on wheels in an attempt to entice shoppers to buy one more item before they were called up.

If there had been a longer queue, then the shop’s scheme may have worked better, but Byakuya glanced at their covers as he passed them, going straight to pay at one of the tills. The cashier scanned his book.

“Anything else?” the woman asked.

Byakuya looked over his shoulder. Touko and Komaru had stayed a short distance behind. Short, but notable.

He faced the cashier again. “I’ll pay for the both of you.”

Komaru didn’t question him and darted forward. Not hearing Touko approach, he checked behind him. Indeed, Touko hadn’t moved, clutching the book that Byakuya had recommended to her, had chosen for her.

“You too, Fukawa,” he said.

Touko dragged her feet over and passed him the book. His gaze lingered on her as he gave the book to the cashier. She didn’t meet his eyes, fixed on some point below that he couldn’t deduce. His chest, perhaps? He narrowed his oceanic blue eyes and turned back to the cashier. After he made the payment and was bid a chirpy good day, he strode toward the exit with the other two close behind him.

The exit gradually grew larger in his vision, and when it loomed over him, instead of stepping outside, he stood still.

“Fukawa?” he said bluntly, making her twitch.

“Huh?” she went.

Byakuya peered down at her with what he meant to be a blank, if not stern expression. “... Are you feeling alright?”

She cringed, then drew herself up and out of her hunched posture.

“I’m fine!” she assured him.

He didn’t believe her.

“I don’t believe you,” he said. She squirmed.

“Being with you makes me incredibly happy,” she told him, and nothing in her tone suggested she was lying, but then she seemed to hesitate.

It sounded like she had more to say, like her tongue had curled around a whole other sentence, but the words dissolved in her mouth, leaving a foul taste. Touko swallowed uncomfortably and said nothing more, but Byakuya refused to waver. Refused to back down. He continued staring at her.

“Can we get ice cream?” asked Komaru, her light voice trickling in between Touko and Byakuya. “There’s a cute little place that makes them here that I really want to visit.”

Byakuya squinted at Touko, who didn’t reply. Komaru’s eyes flickered between them. It wasn’t that she hadn’t picked up on the tension in the air prior to now. Quite the opposite.

“Touko-chan hasn’t been feeling well since yesterday,” explained Komaru. She put her hand on Touko’s shoulder but looked at Byakuya. “Since last night, I’d wager to say.”

Ah. Yes. Then. That. Was after the meal at the restaurant, which he invited Makoto and Kyouko to, as well as Touko, for a social engagement with the purpose of evaluating a particular individual in a comfortable environment. Touko had been that particular individual.

She still was.

That thing.

“I think she’s still hung over,” said Komaru. She bumped her hip gently against Touko. “But you know Touko-chan... she can’t pass up the chance to spend time with you! And I can smile for the both of us.”

Komaru prodded Touko’s shoulder blade with her free hand, grinning, but rather than grinning enough for the both of them, it just highlighted Touko’s downturned mouth.

“... I see,” said Byakuya. He frowned. “Fukawa, if you were still feeling unwell, then you shouldn’t have come.”

Touko’s shoulders shot up, then dipped. So did her chin. Byakuya knitted his brow, and in his chest, he felt a twinge. Years ago, he would have thought this a pathetic sight and not thought about it anymore. His lips felt dry, too dry, and they stuck together as he tried to open his mouth, but even after he peeled them apart, he didn’t speak. Just stared until he couldn’t bring himself to do so anymore.

It wasn’t with disgust that he looked away.

“If you’re feeling so unwell, we should find a hotel for you to retire to for the rest of the evening,” he mused. Komaru’s eyes flew wide open.

“But then she would miss the light parade!” Komaru cried out.

Her exclamation lasted a few seconds before disappearing from the shop, but it rang on in Byakuya’s ears. He blinked. Next to Komaru, Touko lifted her head a bit. Judging by her face, she was as confused as Byakuya.

“The what?” asked Byakuya.

Komaru winced. Her expression softened, became pensive.

“All right, I have a confession to make,” she said, and she held her hands in front of herself. “The reason I wanted to come wasn’t just to help Touko-chan... or buy manga... and I didn’t even plan to buy panties. It was to see the parade!”

There was a pause, like she expected them to say something. No one did, and Komaru tilted her head a little.

“Didn’t you know about it, Togami-san?” she asked him.

Byakuya eyed her and slowly said, “I did not know about it.”

Komaru balled her hands into fists, grinning excitedly.

“That’s because it wasn’t on your list, but you definitely have to see it,” said Komaru. “It’s the first one of its kind.”

“How did you find out about it?” he asked, but not with any urgency to know the answer.

“Because I search for certain things,” explained Komaru, and he could tell she was getting impatient by how her legs jigged.  “Like... on social media, and stuff. It’ll be starting in this district in the next half hour, so if we hurry, there’s enough time to buy ice cream. Come on!”

She sprinted off, and Touko groaned before chasing after her. Byakuya pressed two fingers against his brow, gave himself a quick massage and then followed after them at a brisk pace. Thanks to the bright eyes of shop windows and the luminescent signs that their buildings adorned, as well as the artificial glows of lamp posts, he could see the pair from a fair distance away despite the deepening darkness of the night drinking up the finer details of his surroundings.

However, when he arrived at the plaza, it was filling with people. Clumps of citizens were scattered about, decorating the plaza like lint on a well-worn sweater. He hesitated, unable to see them. They couldn’t have gone far. Komaru had even told them that she wanted to buy ice cream. That limited the number of places. Only, that still left a lot of places that sold ice creams, and he didn’t know the locations of each one.

Library? Yes. City hall? Yes. Police station? Yes. He could find those easily. Everywhere that sold ice cream? No. Why would he?

“Byakuya-sama!” Touko cried out, and he turned sharply. She staggered over to him, spat out from a crowd of people who threw her dirty looks, and she rested her hands on her thighs, panting.  “S-Sorry. Omaru was too eager, and... went on ahead. I know where she is though.”

“Whatever,” he replied, and he glanced around. No one was paying them any attention, and his gaze slunk back to Touko, who was giving him her full attention.

With so many people wrapped up in the event and their own lives, bundled up in the same layer of darkness as him and Touko, the two of them were no more, no less, than anyone else, a silhouette on the street. To some, the darkness hid the unknown, but what it hid wasn’t always dangerous. Sometimes, it protected the unknown.

Byakuya clicked his tongue and reached for her hand. His heart skipped as his fingers scratched lightly against her cold skin, but with a deep breath, he steadied himself and gripped Touko firmly.

“I have no choice. I’ll have to keep you close to me, so I won’t lose you,” he said, barely audible above the rumble of the crowds.

Holding hands was something that Touko did with Komaru without thinking, a facet of their friendship, but this innocent touch made her stiffen, made her breathing falter. Byakuya wasn’t a hand holding person. He shook hands, but that was the limit, and they both knew this.

“This way, we won’t get separated,” he said. That had happened enough times to them. “Now, let us find Komaru. You said you know where she is?”

“Right.” Touko’s hand shifted, but she didn’t pull away from Byakuya’s grasp. He could feel her trembling, and her voice quavered, but she could still talk, could still talk coherently. “I left her at a milkshake parlour, so I’ll... take us... her... to her, I mean.”

She tugged on his arm and he followed after her. More people were gradually dribbling into the plaza from all directions. Byakuya moved closer, shrinking the gap between their bodies, in case someone barged between them and broke their hands apart. This way, they stayed together.

He furrowed his brow, letting Touko take charge of navigating while he stewed in his thoughts.

They arrived outside of a modestly sized shop, which according to the cursive text on its storefront, was called ‘The Sweet Corner’, spoken in English. A bell jingled as they slipped inside. The interior had a pastel colour scheme, and in front of them was a queue of half a dozen people, with Komaru third from the front. Komaru spotted them almost instantly and waved them over. Byakuya and Touko sidled up.

“Sorry for ditching you, Togami-kun,” said Komaru, not sounding particularly apologetic. Or apologetic at all. She sounded chipper. “I wanted to place our order as soon as possible, because they take a bit of time to make. But Touko-chan found you quickly, so we’re going to have to wait after all...”

Komaru trailed off. At first, Byakuya thought that she just didn’t know how to end her sentence, but then he followed her gaze. His eyes fell onto his hand, which was still holding Touko’s hand, their fingers entwined.

Byakuya’s chest jolted. He jerked his hand away and then casually pushed up his glasses. Touko jumped at the sudden movement, then drew her elbows into her sides and fidgeted her hands, eyes downcast. They stood around quietly, waiting. As the line in front of them shortened, Byakuya studied the decor. Paintings of cartoon animals hung on the walls, and there were sofa seats of single block colours arranged around simple tables. In a wooden holder on the counter were laminated menus with small images of certain items, and further back, overhead, was a less extensive menu displayed across several boards like in a fast food restaurant. Other than milkshakes, the establishment also sold ice cream, hot drinks, waffles and pancakes, as well as other sweet treats.

They reached the front of the line, where they had a better view of the kitchen area behind the counter. Boxes of different chocolate and biscuit brands sat on shelves on one of the walls. Komaru sprung into action immediately, smacking her hands onto the counter.

“Yes, hello, I would like an Apollo milkshake, the ones with strawberry,” she said, pressing close, and the edge of the counter dug into her.

While the cashier made quick note of the order on a piece of paper, Komaru turned to Touko.

“The milkshakes here, you can ask for them to be made from different chocolate bars,” said Komaru. “But they can use chocolate biscuits here too. I was thinking, you could have Kinoko no Yama?”

Touko’s face drew into a look of disgust.

“Those are the ones shaped like mushrooms. I don’t want those,” she said in a sour tone. She craned her neck to better examine the chocolates available, and in the end, after some deliberation, she said, “I’ll have a milkshake based with Black Thunder.”

Byakuya didn’t know the chocolate biscuit brand that Komaru recommended, but he recognised the name of Touko’s suggestion. Not because he liked it - they were inexpensive chocolate bars with rice puffs that he wouldn’t go near willingly, but in the business world, Black Thunder bars were seen as a modern rags-to-riches story, persevering despite their unpopularity until they received better endorsement and marketing. They were a hit with university students and young women.

The cashier scribbled Touko’s option down, and Komaru turned to Byakuya. Despite his lack of answer, she wouldn’t avert her eyes. He restrained a sigh and skimmed through the menu behind the counter.

“... Coffee,” he decided. He glanced at the cashier. “I don’t suppose you have luwak coffee here?”

Behind the counter, the cashier shook her head. Just as well he didn’t get his hopes up, then.

“Give me your finest, black,” said Byakuya. He turned to the other two. “Who’s paying?”

“Me!” Touko blurted, before anyone could volunteer themselves. She pulled up her small satchel, slung over her shoulder with a strap, and got out her small purse.

After Touko paid, the drinks needed a bit of time to be prepared, so Komaru claimed them a table by the window and sprawled herself across an entire sofa seat. Byakuya and Touko sat opposite her, next to each other. Pop music played over speakers, the sort of track that Komaru and her brother would be able to give the name of, that Touko and Byakuya didn’t recognise and listened to for probably the first time.

They might have heard it before. If so, it was a forgettable tune.

“Do you like the music?” asked Komaru, glancing out of the window before smiling at them. “It’s a banger.”

Small talk. A spasm quaked in his cheek. Byakuya folded his arms over his chest and looked away.

“It’s not a genre of music that I care for personally,” said Touko in a low voice, resting her arms on the table. “Pop music... is created to appeal to a general audience as opposed to certain sub-cultures, though it can take elements from different genres. They’re usually short pieces, with basic, predictable structures and hooks. They’re the sort of music that people like you,” Komaru, “would dance to. The themes and topics are often basic, and it’s too commercial... I don’t care for it at all.”

“I know that’s what you think,” said Komaru. She cocked her head. “Togami-san, what about...?”

“I’m of the same mind,” he said.

Komaru took a moment to process what he said, and with two against one, she sulked, but her features weren’t hard enough to suggest anything other than temporary indignation, and she stared out of the window.

“I much prefer instrumental music,” said Touko. “Good instrumentals are able to bring about emotion without a single spoken word. When I write, think about writing, or want to get into a certain mood, I listen to that. I let it fuel me. It’s that sort of power that I wish to evoke with my written art...”

Byakuya propped up his chin in his hand, not just listening but also watching her with interest. Yes. Interest. He allowed that adjective. Her eyebrows squished in concentration, and she moistened her lips before curling them into her mouth, only to relax her lips moments later so they popped out again. As if to compromise their state, she pursed her lips and kept them like that. She drew him in, and when he realised, he lowered his gaze to her fidgeting hands.

One of the employees came to their table with their various drinks. Komaru slurped loudly through her straw. Touko gritted her teeth, and noticing, Komaru tried to gulp less conspicuously. Byakuya sipped his coffee and deemed its taste acceptable.

Another track played over the speakers that he didn’t recognise.

“While I can’t say I listen to that music for the exact same reason as you, Fukawa, I too prefer instrumentals,” said Byakuya, reviving the conversation. He held his cup with his fingers hooked around its handle. “I find them less distracting. However, there is some music with lyrics that I don’t mind listening to. The voice is an instrument too, after all.”

Touko’s cheeks had hollowed as she tried to suck out some of her thick shake through her straw. At the sound of his voice, she relaxed her muscles and lifted her head, then sat up straight when he said her name.

“You’re right, Byakuya-sama,” she said, oozing a smile. She placed a hand over her heart. “I have to admit that a few times, I’ve found a song with lyrics that resonate with me. Most of them aren’t mainstream. I don’t care who it’s by, or how many fans they have... like there’s a song called Save Me by Aimee Mann, which was in the soundtrack of a movie I once watched. It’s in English, and...”

The rest of her sentence played out in her head and she mouthed some of it, but he couldn’t read her lips. She lost steam and her lips ground to a stop. Even so, he continued looking at her.

“... I may investigate,” he said. “Your works have been known to be powerful enough to create trends in society. Fishermen became incredibly popular with women and young girls due to one of your books... and butlers with another of your releases.”

He could recall Aloysius being given phone numbers by a variety of women for a period of time.

“Therefore,” Byakuya said, under her intense gaze, feeling like he was walking against a gale, “I would be interested to see what fuels you.”

Touko gasped and clasped her cup of milkshake tighter, causing the plastic to crackle. The corners of her lips threatened to tear through her rosy cheeks as they soared upward.

“I’ll clear my schedule!” she promised, face shining. “We can share our recommendations together... together!”

Byakuya clucked, but he almost smiled. For a short time, they quietly enjoyed their drinks, until one of Komaru’s frequent glances to the window eventually prompted her to jolt to her feet.

“It’s starting!” Komaru yelled. Touko nearly tossed her plastic cup into the air, and even Byakuya, as unshakeable as he thought himself to be, tensed. “Come on!”

Komaru gestured wildly for them to follow and without explanation, she hurried to the door and wrenched it open. Byakuya rose. Then Touko, with a mix of annoyance and confusion sculpting her features into a glare, the cup in her hands bent out of shape.

“Come on!” Komaru whined, bobbing restly as she held the door open, and then her impatience boiled over and she disappeared outside. The door jingled casually, and everyone in the parlour stared after her.

Through the glass storefront, they could see the outside world. Byakuya had left behind a sponge of darkness that oozed light from its pores when he entered the parlour, but now the whole street seemed aglow. He abandoned his coffee cup on the table and crept to the door, with Touko close behind him. When he opened the door, he could only take one more step before being forced to a standstill.

Strangers swamped the street, tightly-packed, confining him and Touko to the doorway. Strings of lights stretched over their heads, hanging over the empty plaza, one end attached to the shops behind them and reaching all the way over to the shops on the opposite side of the plaza. Orbs of hazy light speckled the sea of people, and on closer inspection, Byakuya discovered that they were phone screens.

“What’s going on?” asked Touko, though he could barely hear her over the noise of unseen speakers belting out another pop song that he didn’t know, and the excited twittering of those around them. Perhaps by accident, she pressed into his back lightly and clung to his jacket.

The touch, as indirect as it was, spluttered sparks up him. He shifted but she kept hold of him. His face twitched but he didn’t say anything, forcing himself to focus on his surroundings. A thick crowd had collected in front of the shops, spanning the entire row of buildings, and another swarm of people had gathered on the other side of the plaza. However, they didn’t seem to have any interest in the shops, instead looking into the unoccupied plaza.

Everyone here must have been spectators of what Byakuya presumed was the light parade that Komaru had mentioned.

He scanned the crowd for Komaru, but the mass of people had swallowed her up. Komaru was nowhere in sight. Despite her young age, she could take care of herself in a place like this, so he wasn’t too concerned. She must have tried to wiggle her way toward the front, to give herself a better view of the parade when it passed through.

While he wasn’t particularly interested in the parade, he definitely didn’t care for being trapped inside of a milkshake parlour, so he felt around behind him. Byakuya found Touko’s wrist and seizing it securely, he began to push through the crowd, worming through until they resurfaced in a small pocket within the crowd, big enough for the both of them to breathe their own air.

“Do you-?” Byakuya started, only to pause because he couldn’t hear himself. He turned to Touko. When he spoke next, he raised his voice a few decibels below shouting. “Do you know anything about this parade?”

Touko’s brow crinkled.

“No,” she said, watching his lips, but she may as well have mouthed it.

He looked around and glimpsing a certain combination of black and white, he did a double take. Two small figures of child height stood nearby, and though their bodies seemed human, their heads seemed smooth, like helmets, with ball-shaped ears stuck onto them, the right side of the head white and the other black.

A roar rippled through the crowd, nearly yanking his soul from his body. The mighty bellow echoed, trembled, causing everything to vibrate, and Byakuya tightened his hold on Touko as he searched frantically for the cause. In the distance, approaching the plaza, was a cluster of lights. Thanks to his height, he could see over most people’s heads, and as the lights drew closer, he could see that they were worn by people in costumes, and he flinched. His mouth was agape.

Their outfits were large, mascot-shaped, lacking fingers, instead boasting paws, and the right side of their bodies were white and the other was black like the children’s were.

And they were spilling into the plaza.

“There you are!” cried out Komaru from nearby. She practically popped up beside them.

“Why are they here?” he asked, voice rasping dry. He coughed.

Touko had managed to spot the costumed people invading the plaza through gaps in tangles of limbs, and she stared wide-eyed at the progression, lips quivering.

“It’s the parade! They’re not really Monobear units, just people dressed as them,” said Komaru. She flapped her hand, directing his attention elsewhere. “See, some of the kids are dressed up too.”

His eyes wandered. Not only were there the children that Byakuya had stumbled upon recently, but others too. In fact, not all of them were kids, but some seemed to be teenagers or even adults, wearing Monobear’s likeness. Some waved glow sticks. Some waved their phones. Some waved hotdogs or cotton candy, and some waved a combination of these things.

“But why!” Byakuya snapped, temperature rising to his face that had gone cold.

Komaru was unfazed and flung out her arm. “Look!”

He wasn’t in the mood for guessing games, but he followed where she motioned toward. A fair distance behind the marchers dressed as Monobears, who travelled in two lines, one after the other, was a parade float towed behind a plain white van that blended into its surroundings, tinted with shadow in places but blushing light in others. His breathing hitched as he tipped his head back and comprehended the float.

Beads of light decorated the platform, and on it stood two effigies that towered over everyone. One had a short brown bob of hair, saturated green eyes that glowed from within and a sailor fuku with a white blouse, red tie and blue skirt, and in two hands, grasped a megaphone that was held out like a gun. The other effigy had wild hair, circular-framed glasses and a purple sailor fuku, only this skirt didn’t go halfway down the thighs but could reach near the ankles had it not been sculpted to be flying up, showing off scars on the thigh. Spotlights at the feet, pointed upward, washed them in colour and definition.

“That’s... us,” said Touko, almost rendered breathless as she stared into her own violet eyes.

“Yep! It’s a parade... in our honour!” explained Komaru, sporting a wide grin. “Cool, huh?”

Touko’s lips trembled. She swallowed and then turned her head, narrowing her eyes at Komaru.

“What did you search to know about this event? Don’t tell me you googled yourself,” said Touko with distaste.

“We look so cool, don’t we?” asked Komaru, looking up at the effigies like a proud mother.

As the float drew closer, approaching at a slow but steady pace as performers danced and spun ahead of the van, Byakuya drank in the face of Touko’s likeness, its features sharp and deadly. Yet, he remembered the real thing this morning, which had been soft, which had been pressed into his bare back, which had scrunched when a tired mewl escaped, which had been caressed by his hands when they kissed on her bed the night before.

They were the same person. He shivered slightly. It was getting cold. Yes.

“They’ve made me wield scissors,” grumbled Touko, sticking her chin up as she took evident umbrage at this detail. “Don’t they know... that’s my alter’s thing?”

The float passed them slowly. More costumed marchers pranced around behind it, and after them drove another float with different effigies. This time, there were three, and the one in the middle caught Byakuya’s attention first. That one was bound to a cross with rope at the wrists, its defined chest bare and dangling legs contained within ripped, black suit trousers. Byakuya’s gaze climbed up the body, from the polished shoes that overlapped, all the way up to the face. Blond hair, slightly windswept, framed the head, and blue eyes behind familiar white-framed glasses stared out from an expression contorted with pain but hardened with determination, perseverance.

Either side of the effigy were two women who had the same billowing hair, the same torn sailor fuku and the same mole by their lips, but on his right side, the effigy sat slumped by his likeness, arms wrapped around the blond’s legs. On the other side, the left side, the effigy had red eyes and a long tongue hanging out of its mouth. This effigy stood tall, one arm wrapped around Byakuya’s likeness’ middle and the other arm holding a pair of scissors to the underside of his likeness’ chin.

Phones flashed as people furiously tapped them, snapping photos.

“I’m going to take a better photo of the first one,” Komaru shouted. The wind and chatter and music smothered her voice before it could carry far. Not waiting for a response, she slipped away, chasing after the float that had her and Touko on it.

Byakuya turned back to Touko, who ogled the second float with more interest than the one prior.

“They got your physique right,” she said, in reference to the abs, and Byakuya quirked his brow at her. Though reluctant, she tore her eyes away from it and hunted for her phone. By the time she found it, the float had passed them.

She shrieked and staggered through the crowd to catch up to it. He pinched the bridge of his nose and walked briskly after her, ignoring the next group of dancers and the next float - a large structure, that of a whack-a-mole game with nine holes, where instead of moles, five holes contained different sausage-shaped cushions painted to resemble the disbanded Warriors of Hope, while the remaining four corners housed a Monobear cushion in them. There were more floats, further and further away, of Haiji Towa in the midst of being torn apart by featureless blue people, and another of Taichi Fujisaki floating on a cloud of binary while meditating, and Hiroko surrounded by featureless blue children.

People shuddered and hissed, scowling at him as Byakuya forced his way through the crowd. He glimpsed Touko up ahead and flitted between slithers in the crowd. She hadn’t noticed him yet, distracted by the float of her, Byakuya and Genocider Syo. When he reached her, he put a hand on her shoulder.

Touko whirled around, brandishing her phone like a sword. Byakuya blinked, almost going cross-eyed as he tried to look at her phone.

Her face relaxed, and her hand wilted. He exhaled and took his hand off her, tucking it away as he folded his arms over his chest.

“To think that it used to be that you were chasing after me,” he mused in a quiet tone, peering down at her.

Now he was chasing after her.

But it wasn’t the same.

It wasn’t.

“Sorry, I got excited,” said Touko, flashing a nervous, apologetic smile that didn’t budge his frown. She turned her phone toward herself and tapped the screen a few times. Her eyes flickered. “Komaru says she’ll meet us at the top of a tower closeby. I think it’s that one.”

Touko raised her head and pointed a finger at a lattice tower in the distance much like Toyko Tower in structure. During the day, its body was red, standing out against shades of blue and grey, then, once night fell, as it had done today, it lit up with a gradient of brilliant light, glowing hot yellow at its centre and spreading out into a blazing red toward its edges.

The tower was open to visitors but in the daytime, the queues to even go into the area underneath it were hours long. However, at night, the queues dramatically shortened, and it took Byakuya and Touko longer to burrow through the crowd than it did to reach the front of the queue. Once there, they were objected to two security checks, with the first one resulting in the confiscation of the scissors in the holster on Touko’s thigh, which would only to be returned when they left the premises later.

Then, finally, they were let in through the gates, and they walked onto the paved area below the tower.

Stalls selling foods were dotted here and there around the edges. Byakuya ignored them all and went straight to a booth to buy tickets for a ride to the top. While the tower offered the option of taking the stairs, which didn’t cost anything, he didn’t feel like climbing up so many, so he paid extra for the luxury of a lift.

Each lift was located in a different leg of the tower. Touko stood close to him in dim lighting as the lift ascended, stopping about halfway up the tower. Cold air smeared across their faces. Wire fencing enclosed the area, with big enough gaps that the city could be seen through it if one brought their faces near enough. There were also telescopes, available at a fee.

Touko and Byakuya approached the fencing together. The city twinkled in places. Steadily shone pinprick light in others. Everything else was hidden in a blanket of darkness, way below them.

“You can see the parade,” said Touko, pointing. Her finger trembled. She drew her hand back so she could squeeze and rub her hands together. “The lights are all congested there... Everything seems so small from up here. People aren’t even ants. They’re not perceptible... like they’re not there.”

Her breaths were short and shallow.

“Even with all the lights down there, it’s so dark,” she said, shaking. It was cold. It was dark. “Who knows... what’s hiding in there...”

Byakuya raised a hand to the fencing and fitted his fingers through the gaps, hooking his digits around the thin lines and feeling the metal press against his skin. He thought to himself how while they couldn’t see a single human on the ground, all of those people surely wouldn’t be able to see them up here either. They could see the tower, sure, but not the man in his grey pea coat or the woman beside him, huddled up in her coat.

“The dark doesn’t always hide danger,” said Byakuya. “Sometimes, it can hide you from danger.”

Touko’s face looked like it had been carved out of marble, pale and smooth. She didn’t say anything as she considered what he said, or even move, like she hadn’t heard him, but seconds later, she let out a quiet laugh and turned to him.

“You always say such inspirational things, Byakuya-sama,” she said with a smile, with quivering light in her eyes that very much indicated she wasn’t a statue but real, and she blinked, and the light was still there afterwards.

“I say my truth,” he said, and he knew she liked that about him, and he realised that his mouth had widened into its own smile without him realising. He tried to pull it back in, but his lips resisted, fighting the whole way.

Then the fireworks started, distant but flying as high as them. Touko widened her eyes at the bounty of colour they threw up, and Byakuya watched too. Some didn’t bang but sprayed glitter. Red. Green. Blue. Some started dazzling gold and when they exploded, they spread wings of purple stars that crumbled away before their very eyes. Byakuya absentmindedly touched his blond hair and thought of braids, thought of long wild hair beside him. As yellow disintegrated into purple, more fireworks shot up. Lights pulsed in and out of existence, replaced by another display, and as the show progressed, smoke began to build. There was a flash, and Byakuya saw a smoky figure, tall, who pressed into another smoky figure, shorter with a long skirt, and the two joined together into a gnarled embrace until they became unrecognisable.

“Without  the dark... you wouldn’t be able to appreciate the light,” said Byakuya.

“It’s beautiful,” murmured Touko, agreeing.

Light whipped against her face. The sky sputtered.

“It is,” he said.

She looked at him, meeting his gaze, and feeling his face start to tingle, he turned back to the firework show first. It was cold. For the next fifteen minutes, neither spoke, and then the last batch of fireworks dissolved in their eyesight. All they could hear now was the wind whistling and other visitors to the tower talking amongst themselves somewhere behind them.

Byakuya removed his fingers from the wire fencing. He faced Touko, and she gazed up at him, and he inhaled to speak, only to pause, tongue scraping against the back of his teeth.

A beat of silence passed between them. Something about how she stared at him caught him off-guard. Something about her face, her eyes, all things that he had seen plenty of times, focused on him, but now was different somehow, and he could feel her reeling him in. That had to be it, because otherwise, he was slowly leaning in on his own accord.

“Byakuya-sama,” she said, her brow creasing, and she dragged a foot forward, setting off an imaginary tripwire.

“Let’s go up,” he said, straightening. His stomach gave a strange flutter, like he missed a step, like he said the wrong thing. The dark would help mask his expression. “Komaru might be expecting us on the top.”

She gaped at him and then nodded, wringing her fingers. “Right...”

They took another trip on the lift and arrived at the very top of the tower. A large mesh dome surrounded them, protecting them from the wind and accidentally falling off. Much like the previous floor, if one wanted to take a photograph of the city without any wire blemishing the picture, they were required to place their camera right against it, with the lense positioned in a gap.

Touko hugged herself, staying a short distance back from the wire dome.

“Where is she?” asked Touko, looking around. She grimaced. “I bet that fool is still down there taking photos...”

Byakuya padded over to the wire meshing. Even the tallest buildings, not including this structure, struggled to be as big as a fingernail in his vision. Over the howling of the wind, he heard Touko sidle up to his side, glimpsed her shadowy figure, but he didn’t turn. His eyes traced over freckles of light way, way down on the ground. The tower was in this city, yet he felt like he was in another place entirely.

“I suppose we should find Komaru,” he finally said. He made to turn, but then she grabbed him, and he wavered. “Fukawa?”

“I can’t take it anymore. I need to know,” she said, striped in light and shadow like war paint. She clutched his arm harder. “I need to know what we are.”

It should have been easy answering her.

“Are we... together?” she asked, her tone restrained, but he could hear the rawness in her throat, the power she was holding back that she couldn’t hide in her large eyes.

One word. Two options. Byakuya should have been able to answer right away.

“This isn’t the time,” he started.

“When is the time?” Touko asked, voice cracking.

She gulped noisily. He could feel her shaking.

“I don’t want to keep on second-guessing. I want to know,” she pleaded. “It’s fine... when I’m making it up in my head. I know where I stand. But all this... today... last night... as far back as that night before we lost our memories so long ago... it’s making it hard to know what’s real and what’s not.”

The person standing in front of him wasn’t a girl who muttered and fiddled with her skirt, but someone who muttered, fiddled with her skirt and could also stand tall, who knew what she wanted and had the determination to back it, who could cry and smile and both and was brave enough to hold out her heart with her fingers spread, who would risk herself for those she held dear.

One of those people was him. Him, someone who caged his heart, who thought that made him stronger, but who she had shown wrong. Who had taught him otherwise.

His heart raced. His throat thickened. Her strange behaviour today began to make sense.

“People say life is short, but it’s the longest thing we have and it’s our only one,” she said. “And I know... we’re still young, but we don’t know how long we have left, and even if we have the rest of our lives, I don’t want to waste any more time. Our time apart before... was difficult, even with our video calls and my best friend beside me. I want to make the most of it.”

Byakuya shook. It was cold. It was cold. It was cold.

But his face was growing unbearably hot.

“Komaru’s right, even if how she compared it to anime... I want a resolution, darling,” she said with wide, determined eyes brimming with tears. They must have had that conversation when he wasn’t paying attention. “Even if you say ‘no’, I will respect that, but my heart will always be for you. As your partner, or even as a friend... I’m loyally yours. You don’t have to be afraid.”

She reached for his shoulder and gripped it tightly and though her tug was small, Byakuya’s head swooped down like an avalanche. Without thinking, he placed a hand on her hip, and without thinking, he cupped his palm against her cheek, and without thinking, he kissed her.

Well, the corner of her lips. They bumped together and receded, just a little, just for a moment. Wordlessly, they adjusted their angle, shifted their feet, modified their holds on each other, and then they kissed again as Diamonds by Rihanna played through the city streets far below. But here, they heard the wind, the ruffling of clothes and their hushed breaths, smoky figures joining together.

He didn’t feel weak. He felt powerful.

Other people on the tower turned to them. Some politely pretended not to see them, others grinned at the show of love, but none grinned quite as much as Komaru, who watched the screen on her phone as she recorded them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> komaru let togami share a hotel room with fukawa that night
> 
> also, komaru bought the christmas presents the next morning. the panties was just her


End file.
